Wednesday, 11 December 2013

The
Springheel Saga began several years ago, with the three-part series,
'The Strange Case of Springheel'd Jack'. Written by Robert Valentine
and Gareth Parker, it was an exciting romp through Victorian London,
combining action, humour, and penny-dreadful horror with genuine
factual elements of the Springheel'd Jack mystery. The series was a
complete success, enough so that old Jack has reared his fiendish
head once again with a brand new series, under the banner of 'The
Legend of Springheel'd Jack'....

Rather
wisely, 'The Legend of Springheel'd Jack's opening episode, grandly
titled 'The Terror of London', picks up seven years after the
original series ended. The legend of Jack has taken England by storm,
and there are accounts of his sightings all over the country. He is
less a figure of out-and-out terror now, and more an interesting
mystery, being depicted on stage as an icon of curiosity; in
penny-dreadful horror stories; and even Punch and Judy shows! By
having this gap of seven years, writers Parker and Valentine have
been able to, if you will, recreate the legacy of Springheel'd Jack,
reaffirming who he is, and reintroducing us to Jonah Smith, and his
obsessive quest to seek out Jack. This helps to draw in new listeners
who may not have had the chance to hear series one, but also to
present long-term fans with a different slant to the story. It works
magnificently.

'The
Terror of London' begins with James M. Rymer, played with chirpy
enthusiasm by John-Holden White, regailing us with his encounter of
Jack. In a stroke of utter genius, Rymer just happens to be the
real-life author of the classic horror stories 'Varney the Vampire'
and 'Sweeney Todd'. Rymer was also a journalist, and so his love of
horror, and journalistic curiosity, are used to drag the listener
into the murky depths of the Victorian underworld. With Rymer as our
guide through this new chapter of the Jack saga, the writers have
fully embraced all the elements of the classic Victorian horror
story, in a shameless love-letter to the long-distant past.

Parker
and Valentine truly go to town with Rymer's narration, such glorious
phrases as, “That filthy Venice of drains” and “...black blood
through a diseased heart” painting a truly ghastly scene for a
midnight murder – the murder of Maria Davis, in fact. Said to be
Springheel'd Jack's only fatality, Maria's death kicks open the story
proper, and with it, a spiralling web of intrigue and mystery, that
'The Terror of London' only begins to touch upon. This is a
three-part series too, and you'll be left gasping for more at the end
of this episode, I can assure you!

By
leaving a gap of seven years, when we return to Jonah Smith, the hero
of the original 'Jack' saga, we see a much darker, more solitary
figure. Jonah Smith is obsessed with discovering, and capturing
Springheel'd Jack, not just because he's a detective, but also due to
a personal vendetta with the mysterious demon of the night. Actor
Christopher Finney has taken care to retain the essence of Jonah
Smith, but inflected him with a darker nature, and it works as a nice
contrast to White's almost bumbling Rymer when they meet early on in
the play. By pairing Smith and Rymer together a while later, we get a
nice little double-act that carries the episode, and highlights the
different elements of their characters. Rymer, the wide-eyed,
excitable journalist experiencing everything for the first time;
Smith, the brooding, melancholy investigator who's seen it all
before.

However,
Jonah's fire is truly reignited by the return of Charlotte
Fitzrandolph, portrayed magnificently by Jessica Dennis. Charlotte
turns up out completely out of the blue, with a huge clue as to where
Springheel'd Jack might be hiding, and a reason as to why he might
have been seen all over the country. This pushes the story into a
very specific direction, as Jonah goes hunting for Jack, and ends up
bumping once again into Rymer. It's Rymer, more than anybody else,
who helps Jonah Smith to look inside himself, as much as Jonah
himself might not like to admit it, and it's Rymer who starts to pull
the old Jonah back into being. It doesn't last...

'The
Legend of Springheel'd Jack' is all about the legacy of old Jack, and
hearing him represented as the villain in Punch & Judy is both
amusing and slightly unnerving. As listeners, we know that he is out
there still, and beneath all the humour throughout this episode,
there is a deadly undercurrent of something sinister lurking behind
the laughter. But where does the darkness hide? Who is Elijah P.
Hopcraft, Andrew Shepard's mysterious Punch & Judy man? Is there
more to the magician Cuthbert Leach, played by the underrated and
utterly charming Nicholas Parsons, and his fiery assistant Lizzie
(Josephine Timmins)? The beautifully constructed script unfolds at
its own pace, and the unpredictability in which it does so means that
that something unexpected is always around the corner.

This is
never truer than in the final ten minutes of the piece, which ramp up
the tension until the final shocking moments, which completely change
the direction of the series. Whether you've already heard the first
series, or are a newcomer to the 'Springheel Saga', there is no
denying that 'The Terror of London' packs an almighty punch right at the very end, with the mother of all cliffhangers!

Witty,
funny, and immensely enjoyable, 'The Terror of London' is a perfect
opener to a brand new series of adventures for Jonah Smith. Embracing
all the facets of the Victorian age, from penny-dreadful writers to
Punch & Judy shows, as well as combining the fact and fiction of
Springheel'd Jacks' exploits, this is a must for anyone with a thirst
for 19th century intrigue. With a perfect script,
excellent performances, and glorious sound design, alongside a superb
musical score, 'The Terror of London' is an all-out success. Not to
be missed!